Changes
by Property Of The Joker 013
Summary: Sometimes you can't help changes that happen to you, even if they are for the worse. T just to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Bright rays of sun enter a quiet room through an open window and land upon the face of a young woman lying peacefully in her bed. A slight snore escapes her lips as the light starts to register to her closed eyes, and become bothersome. Without waking, she turns away from the offending light and continues her sleeping. On the other side of her room, a small hidden door opens and closes silently as a fluffy, floppy eared animal tries it's very best to hop to the sleeping woman's bed. It reaches the bottom of the bed by where her head is currently resting ( 'Thank goodness she's on this side of the bed today' he thought) and pulls on her blankets trying to wake her.

"Sof... Are you up kid?" He stares hopefully up at the bed. A small stir came from above and a quiet grumble, but nothing else. He starts to get a little agitated. She was never easy to wake up lately. "C'mon Sof! You know I can't hop onto your bed anymore... Sof!... Sofia!"

A figure shot up in the bed, a small amount of drool on the side of her cheek. "Just a minute Baileywick..." She stretched her arms and back before she rubbed her eyes, while a big yawn slipped out of her.

"Bailey...? Down here kid!" She opens her eyes wider, now more awake after hearing his voice, and looks around before leaning over the edge of her bed.

"Oh good morning Clover!" She reaches down and picks up her childhood rabbit friend. Snuggling into him when he gets all the way up. "You feel heavier. Maybe you need to lay of the radishes... or at least cut back a little..." She let her though trail off as she giggles a little and awaits his response.

"Yeah... I guess I do, I have been feeling... bigger... lately. So did you stay up late with Cedric trying to perfect a spell again?" Clover looks up at Sofia with a look of indifference and slight confusion. "What?"

Sofia was shocked, and her face showed it. "You... You aren't gonna argue with me? You just agreed just like that?" She looks at her friend worriedly.

"Yeah nothing about the Sorcerer..." He mumbled to himself knowingly, "I'm getting old kid... I don't have it in me to argue anymore." After he says this he lays down on her plush blanket, exhausted from their short conversation, and the hopping to her bed.

"Oh Clover you aren't old! Those radishes are just making you feel lazy. You'll feel better soon." She smiles at him and gets a thought. "Hey! If you can lay off the radishes, maybe I can carry you to the stream again! I know how you like it over there!" She starts lightly bouncing in her bed, pleased with her idea. "We can even have a picnic! It'll be such fun Clover!" Her eyes were alight with joy as she looked at Clover to see his reaction to her idea.

Clover smiles a small, sad smile at her. "Sounds great Sof... Hey can you carry me to the window seat? I wanna sun bathe for a bit..." He looks over at the window the sun was currently gracing with its rays of sunshine.

"Oh of coarse Clover!" She picks him up and cradles him to her chest. "I have to get ready for the day now, but I'll be back soon! Don't get too comfy my Chubby Bunny!" She giggles to herself, thinking the nickname was genius, but when she goes to put him down but he stops her.

"Just hold me for a little bit longer Sof? I... I feel..." He casts his eyes down and couldn't finish his sentence.

Sofia seems to pick up on what he wasn't saying though, and smiled a knowing smile. "Clover... It's fine if you want some extra attention! I don't mind at all! I promise! No need to be embarrassed." She snuggles him for a few more minutes while he just cuddles up to her the best he can. "There, now I really must get dressed, breakfast is starting soon!" She puts Clover down and goes to her closet, her mind on what dress she wanted to wear today, and also if Clover can curb his love of radishes for even a little while.

The rabbit watches her as she walks away, and lays down on the pillow, his breathing shorter than before. Slowly his eyes close, and his breathing stops.

Sofia bounds back into the room, humming to herself and twirling about in her dress as she reenters. "What do you think of this dress Clover?" She waits for a response. When none comes she spins again. "There I gave you a full look around. Can you please tell me now?" Her eyes find him resting on the pillow eyes closed, peaceful. She walks over intent on waking him.

She puts her hand on her friend and gently shakes him, "Clover wake up! I would like to- Clover?" She notices he doesn't move. This isn't like him.

"C-Clover?" Slowly she pulls her hand away, her eyes never leaving his back. Watching like a hawk to make sure he's breathing.

'H-he's just in a deep sleep. He do-does that from time to time lately...' She tried to reassure herself. Even though she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over.

His back didn't rise.


	2. What good is it?

Sofia ran through the halls of her palace home, tears blurring her vision all the while. She didn't need to see though, she knew the way with her eyes closed.

Left.

Right.

Second left.

'I have to get to Mister Cedric! He'll know what to do! He can help him! He'll wake up Clover!' Her thoughts raced with each foot fall, as more tears kept coming.

'Oh since when was his tower so far away from my room?!' Logically she knows it's no further than any other day, but right now... Logic and reason are languages she can not understand. 'Why do we have to live in such a big house?!' Her eyes stray to Clover for a split second. She hasn't felt him move. He hasn't changed.

"We're almost there Clover... Hold on!" She says more to herself than to the rabbit in her arms. Finally the last turn. She turns and is at the base of the stairs leading to Cedric's lab.

"MISTER CEDRIC!" Her scream echoed down the hall and in the stairwell as she ran up the stairs. Directly into the aforementioned Sorcerer as he opened his door.

"Oof! Princess! What is so important you ha-" He sees the ball of fluff in her arms, and the tears falling, with no sign of stopping. He took a deep breath.

'Oh Merlin's Mushrooms... I knew this day was coming... But I'm still not sure I can do this.' Truthfully, he was wondering how much longer the furry rabbit had left, and when he'd be seeing her at his door. One look at her friend, and you could just... tell. Well, everyone but her. She's so naïve and innocent... Or just not wanting to accept the her friend was indeed old, and not going to last.

"Mr. Cedric! Clover! He-He... He's sleeping! But he stopped breathing! Wake him up! You can can't you?!" She rushed into his work room and, holding Clover with one arm, she used her other and started rummaging through his storage cabinets. "Smelling salt! Where are your smelling salts? That'll wake him up! That wakes up anyone from anything! Where are your salts?! Mister Cedric please!" She pleaded with him. It broke his heart.

Cedric stood there sadly watching her. Slowly he walked to a different cabinet and opened it. Without taking his eyes off of her he reached in and pulled out the item in question.

"Princess... It... It's here..." He held it out to her. He wasn't going to talk anymore than he had to. He wasn't going to tell her that she was wrong. That he was not going to wake up. Ever. She wouldn't register it right now anyway. He'd wait until she realized... Well realized for herself.

Sofia's head quickly pulled out from the box she was now looking in. "Oh thank you Mister Cedric!" She ran over and hastily took it from him. "Here Clover..." She put the salts under her friend's nose. He didn't stir. He didn't move. He didn't even twitch. "He's not waking up... Mister Cedric... Why isn't he waking up?!" Tears start to form in her eyes. "Help him Mister Cedric!" She threw the salts down, spilling them everywhere, and went to where Cedric was standing.

"Princess... I..." He looked at her with sad eyes. Trying to convey what she wouldn't accept.

It didn't work.

"You are the best Sorcerer in the world! You CAN wake him up right? If anyone can it's you..." She pleaded once more with him. Squeezing Clover, not wanting to let go, trying to show him how loved he is. Maybe, just maybe, her love can wake him up. "He's getting so cold... Mister Cedric..."

"Princess Sofia..." He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, staring directly into her big blue eyes. "No one, not my father, not even I, can wake up the... the dead."

Sofia pulled herself away from him, shocked and hurt by his words. Dead? "HE'S NOT DEAD! He c-can-can't be! He's just sleeping!" She squeezed him even tighter. If he were awake he would surely be struggling with her.

"... He's not breathing Sofia... You said he stopped breathing in your room. This long without taking a breath..." He's trying to reason with her. She'll understand. She's smart. She has to see it by now.

"No! I wasn't watching him the whole time... He could've taken a breath and I just didn't see! Mister Cedric try! Please!" Her eyes loked into his, pleading for him to see that he wasn't dead... He couldn't be.

"I... I can't. I'm sorry Princess..." It hurt him to see her like this. So sweet, so optimistic, she shouldn't have to feel this. He wished, more than anything, that he could make Clover breathe again. He didn't like the rabbit, but it would be for her. She has to know if he could he would... right?

Sofia's eyes grew wide. She looked down at her best friend since coming to the castle... Now gone. The last piece of her childhood... Gone... Forever.

"I guess I should start... planning where... where to b-bur... Lay him to rest." Slowly she walked towards the door. She didn't give Cedric a glance.

"Mister Cedric..." He looks up startled at her, he wasn't expecting anything else from her this evening. "Magic couldn't help him... What good is it?"

With that she closed the door behind her as she left. Leaving a bewildered sorcerer behind.

Cedric stared at the door unmoving. He could have sworn he heard her heart shatter right after she said that.


End file.
